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May 23, 2006

John Bach
President, Albany Library Board of Trustees
Albany Public Library
161 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12210


Dear Mr. Bach:

As the Library Board of Trustees and the Library Board Facilities Committee reviews recommendations for neighborhood branch locations, Historic Albany Foundation would like to voice its support for the reuse of St. Joseph’s Academy on North Swan Street as the Arbor Hill branch of the Albany Public Library.

From 2002-2003, the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Advisory Committee, comprised of neighborhood stakeholders such as homeowners, tenants, neighborhood associations, and faith-based groups, worked with the City of Albany on the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan.   This plan, developed through consensus and community input, culminated in a large public meeting in June, 2003 with over 100 neighborhood residents participating.  A highlight of the plan was the clearly expressed desire for reusing existing vacant buildings, particularly large buildings such as St. Joseph’s Academy and St. Joseph’s Church.

The Albany Housing Authority (AHA) secured a $45,000 grant from the NYS Housing Trust Fund for a feasibility study for the reuse of St. Joseph’s Academy.  The AHA has agreed to develop St. Joseph’s Academy with affordable senior housing, and for the Albany Public Library if they so choose.  Needs for both of these uses are contained within the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan.

Along with the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Advisory Committee, another group of community stakeholders met throughout 2004 to advise the Library Board on its Master Plan and to help advocate for the Library Board’s completed Master Plan.  This Citizen’s Library Advisory Committee (CLAC) released its Final Report on December 13, 2004.  The section of this report focusing on the proposed Arbor Hill Branch states some very clear community preferences.  Those include the following:

·    The Arbor Hill Branch should be within walking distance of most residents.  This is stated twice in the Final Report (pages 12-13).
·    The Arbor Hill Branch should be within the neighborhood, not on the periphery.
·    Henry Johnson Boulevard was too far from the preferred area for the Arbor Hill Branch.
·    The community wished for the Arbor Hill Branch to play “an impressive and substantial role” in Arbor Hill.
·    The Arbor Hill Branch must be “a key component to neighborhood revitalization” and “work in conjunction with the other revitalization activities” within Arbor Hill.
·    The Arbor Hill Branch could house multiple users.
·    The Arbor Hill Branch should be “consistent with the neighborhood goals of reusing existing and historic long-vacant buildings located within the neighborhood.”

Historic Albany Foundation feels that St. Joseph’s Academy matches all of the recommendations of both the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan and the Citizen’s Library Advisory Committee’s Final Report.  Preliminary results from the current feasibility study indicate that St. Joseph’s Academy is a structurally sound building with the available square footage required for a neighborhood branch (12,000 square feet on the 1st floor).  Additionally, St. Joseph’s Academy is located within a City of Albany Historic District, 2 blocks from major transportation routes, with the possibility of expanding bus routes as part of the current feasibility study.  Ten Broeck Mansion and the Albany County Historical Association are two blocks away.

Historic Albany Foundation applauds the Albany Public Library for actively engaging the community in its Master Plan.  We hope that the Library Board of Trustees will continue to take these community recommendations into consideration as you determine the final branch location possibilities.  Historic Albany Foundation believes that locating the Arbor Hill Library Branch within St. Joseph’s Academy would be a wonderful addition to the North Swan Street revitalization efforts, and demonstrate the Library’s commitment to locating libraries truly at the center of communities.  

We look forward to working with you on this and other projects, and helping you advocate for your branch library locations as part of CLAC.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Susan Holland
Executive Director

cc:    Hon. Gerald D. Jennings, Mayor, City of Albany
    Commissioner Joseph Rabito, City of Albany Department of Development and Planning
    Jeffrey W. Cannell, Director, Albany Public Library
    Deborah Williams-Muhammad, Chair, Albany Public Library Facilities Committee
    Hon. Corey Ellis, Third Ward Common Council
    Hon. Barbara Smith, Arbor Hill Neighborhood Association
    Anders Tomson, Chair, Arbor Hill Implementation Team